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market-farming - [Market-farming] Weeding tools to step up carrot production

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  • From: Lova Andriamanjay <lova.andriamanjay AT gmail.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Weeding tools to step up carrot production
  • Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2010 12:06:10 -0400

Good morning everybody,

this year's farming season isn't over yet and I am already planning
next year. At our place carrots are in really high demand but we have
a lot of trouble keeping up with their weeding. We don't have a wheel
hoe but are definitely buying one. The problem is I am not sure if
wheel-hoeing will be sufficient to keep weeds under control. We did
some flame weeding trials and it did help but was not enough so we are
looking for more. I plan on doing about 2000 feet row of carrots next
year, spread in about 4 plantings.

While reading on this topic, I saw basket weeders are used a lot on
this kind of crop but I don't know if it would be much superior to a
wheel hoe for our size of operation. I feel like a wheel hoe would do
more or less the same job of close to the row control (it is probably
possible to get even closer to the row) with less soil compaction (one
of my biggest fears) and investment at the cost of relatively little
more time when you account for setup time of the basket weeder.

I am also wondering if the seeding density we use could be changed for
a more efficient weed competition from the carrots. Right now we sow
pelleted seeds in two rows about 10 inches apart with seeds 3/4" to 1"
apart in the row. We do not have to thin and the stand is usually
quite good. I am wondering if sowing in a band would allow me to get
more carrots per row thus more carrots for the same amount of weeding.
My concern with that is to know if a single hand weeding would be
sufficient with the crop's canopy closing in quite soon or if I would
have to hand pick weeds more often than that. If I were to do that, I
would probably buy the split shoe for the Jang AP-1 so I would get
two rows 2 inches apart. Would that be good enough or would I want the
scatter shoe for a denser seeding?

I am looking forward to hear from your experience!

Lova Andriamanjay

Jardin chez Julie et Lova
www.jardinchezjulieetlova.com
Coteau-du-lac, QC




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